NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL EVENT

Impact Napa

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 8-10:45 a.m., Napa Valley Marriott, Napa

Best Places to Work 2008 Awards Reception

September 25, 2008, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Doubletree Hotel, Rohnert Park

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Novato’s Inn Marin to complete $2 million in green renovations

NOVATO – Built in 1949, the Inn Marin in Novato is getting a green facelift this year as owners John and Robert Marshall spend about $2 million to upgrade the historic mission-style inn.

“We started talking about this in 2006. We saw how the market was changing and wanted to make sure we made some changes to keep up with what travelers look for today,” Robert Marshall said.

Though the hotel became the first Marin green-certified hotel in 2005, the brothers still found room for improvement when they started planning for the changes in 2006. The two spent several months touring competitors’ renovations both in and outside of the county, finding new green features they could fit into the Inn Marin.

Though most of the hotel’s changes are cosmetic, Mr. Marshall said the look of the inside of the hotel has changed drastically. Officials have also submitted for state green certification and should receive their credentials soon.

“Basically, we chose to redo all the floors, walls, fixtures and window and bed coverings,” he said. “It has really altered the look and feel of the inn.”

Bamboo, which is considered one of the most sustainable building materials, has a large part in much of the changes. The wood is considered green because the forests can grow relatively tall in just three or four years, and after they are cut they grow back without being replanted. The plants also produce about three times more oxygen then most trees.

The Inn Marin refinished all floors with the material, including inside rooms, and bed linens are made from finely shredded bamboo fiber, which has a texture much like silk.

Hotel room walls were painted with low-VOC paint and brick walls on the building’s interior were covered with sheet rock and slight adobe texture. Shower heads, toilets and sink faucets were replaced with low-flow fixtures.

The 68-room hotel lobby is also going through some renovations and city officials are reviewing plans to build a new hotel entrance with covering and two decorative fountains.

The investment is the second substantial reconstruction in the past ten years, after the owners spent about $2 million refinishing the interior in 1999. The Marshalls, who purchased the property in 1996, completed other minor alterations in 2003 and spent about $100,000 refinishing a 1,200-square-foot conference space in 2005.

Most of the changes have been completed or are close to being completed, and the owners hope to finish the project by August, if they receive all of the necessary city approvals.

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